‘ Everything mankind longs for is, and has always been, within his reach. If he would only acknowledge this there would be nothing else to look for. When this happens mankind will step out of his self-made prison and into reality’
We are all searching for something – sometimes we don’t know that what it is and for some of us the search reveals treasures way beyond what we ever imagine it would.
This book is about just such a search ….
In 1996 Lars Muhl was struck by an unexplained illness, which neither doctors nor alternative therapists could diagnose, in desperation he turned to The Seer who, after a single phone call brought Lars 'back to life'.
Intrigued by this mysterious man Lars travelled to Southern France to become his apprentice. This marked the beginning of a lifelong spiritual and philosophical quest to understand the interconnectedness of the cosmos and how past, present and future become one.
The Seer is a human being who is capable of not only diagnosing and curing people, no matter where they are, on the globe, but is also able to read 'The Book of Life', where the destiny of mankind is recorded.
‘This is my journey every word of it is true … but it is also meant to be an allegory, the lessons I have learned are universal’
The Seer is the first book in the Grail Trilogy otherwise known as The O Manuscript.
Lars Muhl is a million-record recording artist from Denmark. He retired from the music business in 1999 after a painful illness left him broken and in despair. On the recommendation of a friend, Muhl contacts a healer in Southern France who is able to relieve his suffering during a call-in session. The Seer describes Muhl’s visit to the man who healed him.
The encounter occurs near Montségur, the site of a great massacre during the medieval Crusade against the Cathars. In scenes reminiscent of ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ Muhl and the Seer make the strenuous climb up Montségur over and over. All the while, the Seer asks Muhl to let go of his past accomplishments and of his ego. Montségur becomes a metaphor for Muhl’s struggle to forge a new life for himself.
Muhl has several mystical experiences during his training, which may put some readers off. Even so, his determination to find his true calling is one to which any seeker can relate. The book begins slowly, but gains momentum and the ending does not disappoint. I especially enjoyed the photographs, which reminded me of those found in W. G. Sebald’s works.
Ik had (op basis van de flaptekst) iets totaal anders verwacht en vond de eerste 100 pagina’s echt moeilijk te volgen. Ik was van plan het twee sterren te geven, “it was ok” betekend die rating, tot ik de laatste 50 pagina’s wel een aantal interessante gedachten vond staan. Ik had verwacht iets meer over de Katharen te weten te komen omdat de reis naar de Ziener expliciet via Montségur gaat, staat op de flaptekst. Maar daar ging het dus niet over.
Ik denk vooral dat het boek zo populair is in Denemarken omdat de schrijver vroeger een bekende musicus was. Voor mij deed dat er niet toe en wou ik het boek puur op eigen merites lezen en omdat ik mystiek fascinerend vind. Jammergenoeg heb ik niet echt veel plezier aan het lezen gehad omwille van de schrijfstijl en vorm van het verhaal. Ook vond ik een groot deel van de fysieke reisbeschrijvingen niet boeiend en sommige van zijn zogenaamde transcendentale ervaringen met de ziener tamelijk new-agey verwoord, terwijl hij dat (zo laat hij expliciet verwoord uitschijnen) absoluut niet wil. Dus brengt dit mij erbij te concluderen dat hij het juiste vocabularium/beschrijfwijzen niet te pakken kon krijgen om zijn ervaringen te bewoorden (hij geeft dit ergens in de tekst ook aan). Als het medium boek of woord dan zo schromelijk tekortschiet om zijn ervaring naar buiten te brengen, vraag ik mij af waarom hij er dan überhaupt een boek over geschreven heeft. Het is niet omdat dit boek over een ongrijpbare/mystieke/transcendentale ervaring gaat, dat het boek weinig concreet diende te blijven/in het ijle. Alleszins heeft het me wel aan het denken gezet en waren er toch een pak waardevolle inzichten waar ik verder over wil nadenken aanwezig. Vandaar mijn 3 sterren, omdat ik na afloop van het boek wel dacht dat ik een aantal nieuwe inzichten heb opgedaan.
This was an interesting book - in a similar vein to the Carlos Castaneda books and Dan Millman's 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior'...a guy meets a kind of wise, guru-figure who transforms his outlook on life. This is evidently autobiographical, although I guess you could always read it as fiction -- after all, you can never quite tell how much is spot-on recollection and how much has been embellished to make a good read. The first thing that struck me is how well-written it is: evocative and atmospheric descriptions of towns, places and people. It does take a little while to get going however, I found myself a little impatient; the narrative jumps about quite a bit and I wasn't entirely sure all of the jumping and scenes of him on trains were necessary. Maybe my impatience was because I was eager to get to the 'meat'; the scenes between the author and the Seer. These were interesting. There were quite a few bits in the book I found quite electrifying, I guess you could say "aha!" moments. I didn't relate to all of it, however. Moments of great insight mixed with moments of just 'hmm'. In the end I definitely took some things from it but I don't know if I was compelled enough to read the other two parts of the trilogy. It's definitely worth a look though and is well-written and interesting,
If you enjoy books like The Alchemist, The Transmigrant, and The Prophet, you will love this book. This is the true story about a Danish musician who, when down on his luck, encounters a seer (a magi) who changes his life and opens him up spiritually. It's the kind of book that inspires you to change your life.
I read this book and recommend it to every single person I know- from my clients to my best friend, this is the book to read when in need of soul searching or mental clarity. Although some may not believe what he has endured in this book (as I completely do since many similar things has occurred to me), the message is clear. Just have stop what you're doing, and read the book. ;)
BTW, it's an easy read I read this during a plane ride a few years ago, and am working through the rest of the O Trilogy now.
Sometimes the right book comes at the right time and this was the case here. I'd been studying much of the Essenes teaching, learning more about Mary Magdalene from The Sophia Code with so much curiosity to learn more! Enter the Seer. While written in a slightly disjointed way it's a personal journey full of beautiful and profound wisdom. I soaked it all in and loved every minute!
I'm excited to read part two and three of the O manuscript now.
Before moving on to the second part, I feel like going back to the start and re-reading this. Might not be the best writing, but there's so much deep information to dwell on that it keeps you going. Depending on where you are on your personal journey, this book will enlighten you more and open more doors for exploration.
All good things are worth a commitment. Take the liberty to be present with every word of this book and soak it in. Although mystical i could not say i disagreed with anything said in this book. Its incredibly relatable and the reference to ancient literature and art deepened the theme and compelled me to learn. The writing will touch your heart if you open up.